Oregon boy calls 911 from back seat to report mom driving drunk

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- An 11-year-old boy called 911 from the back seat of a car to report that his mother was driving drunk, according to the Washington County sheriff's office.

Author:
Rachael Rafanelli

Published:
4:16 PM CDT August 30, 2017

Updated:
4:17 PM CDT August 30, 2017

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- An 11-year-old boy called 911 from the back seat of a car to report that his mother was driving drunk, according to the Washington County sheriff’s office.

Nicole Norris, 30, was driving from a Hillsboro Hops game Saturday night when her son called 911 about 9 p.m., said Deputy Shannon Wilde.

Deputies pulled her over near Southwest Garden Home and Oleson roads. Norris was cited for DUII.

Wilde praised the child for taking the rare step.

"I’ve never had that call before,” Deputy Wilde said. “We get a lot of concerned citizens, people call in, about people they think are driving impaired, swerving, or driving really slow, but to have a child call from inside the car to say the parent is driving impaired is unusual."

"I think it absolutely says that he’s a courageous young man, who knows the difference between right and wrong,” said Wilde. “Even doing something as hard as turning in your own parent. I think that takes a lot of guts and he obviously felt unsafe enough to the point where he had to reach out for help, which says a lot about the situation."